Top Play (WPA): Oddly enough, this honor goes to Mike Moustakas’ two-run double in the top of the ninth (.378), which put a cap on what was a horrific inning for Junichi Tazawa. Eric Hosmer’s two-RBI single earlier in the inning (.360) is good for second place. If you’re a Red Sox fan, you really should’ve just stopped watching this game after the bottom of the eighth.

For Boston, the top play honors go to Jackie Bradley Jr.’s RBI double in the seventh, which was just part of an eventful day for the resurgent outfielder.

Bottom Play (WPA): Rusney Castillo has been great as of late, but he’s the owner of this game’s bottom play. Castillo grounded into a double play with Travis Shaw on base in the bottom of the fourth (-.100), which is a pretty mild offense as far as bottom plays go. The real bottom plays in this one were Josh Rutledge’s error

Key Moment: There are a few plays that stick out here. The first is Rutledge’s error, as he let a tailor-made GIDP ball go through his legs, allowing Hosmer to score.

Then there was this bizarre play, truly one of the strangest I’ve seen as a baseball fan.

Here are the weird things that happened on this one fly ball:
1) Jackie Bradley Jr. misread a ball
2) Jackie Bradley Jr. mishandled a ball
3) The Royals tried to run on Jackie Bradley Jr.

Bradley’s rocket of a throw home temporarily kept the Royals off the board, but, yeah … temporarily. The last key moment would be Moustakas’ double, and there’s a very strong argument to be made that Torey Luvollo shouldn’t have kept Tazawa in the game for that at-bat.  Sigh.

Trend to Watch: A good trend: JBJ is hitting .344/.431/.754 in August. A bad trend: Tazawa has allowed nine earned runs in eight innings in August. He’s cooked.

Coming Next: The Red Sox head to the South Side of Chicago where they’ll face the White Sox for three games. They’re up against Jeff Samardzija, Jose Quintana and Chris Sale, so this won’t be an easy stint.

Photo by David Butler II/USA Today Sports Images

This time, we’ll look at a team the Red Sox have had a strangely good record against for the last couple seasons. For the final time on the Weekend Preview, here are the American League-leading Kansas City Royals.

Kansas City Royals – Current Record: 73-47 – Projected Record: 94-68

The Royals have cruised into first place in the AL in 2015, and are comfortably in the driver’s seat for the rest of the season as they have a six-game lead on the second-place team, the New York Yankees. Defense, contact hitting and relief pitching have propelled this team to the top, and when you don’t strike out and catch everything that flies, it really does seem like you’re doing everything well. They’ve allowed roughly 3.7 runs per game, good for second in the AL, and that’s all thanks to the defense and their stellar bullpen crew. The starters, other than recently-acquired Johnny Cueto, haven’t been anything special, as they own a 4.21 ERA and a 4.36 FIP as a unit, good for 19th and 25th in the majors, respectively. Sure, the Royals have that one weakness, but when everything else is clicking and shows no signs of slowing down, that weakness can be compensated for. If that compensation translates to a six-run gap between you and the next-best team in your respective league, even better.

Probables

Johnny Cueto vs. Henry Owens, Friday, 7:10 p.m. EDT

Cueto, depending on who you talk to, is a true ace. He put up great numbers while on the Reds this year, which is more impressive when you realize he had to pitch in the Great American Smallpark. A 2.62 ERA, combined with a 3.17 FIP and a 0.76 HR/9 while in Cincinnati, really speaks to how good he is. Coming over to the AL hasn’t slowed him down at all. Cueto has made four starts in a Royals uniform since July 31st, and the totals are fantastic: 30.0 IP, 6 ER, 4 BB, 21 K, 1 CGSO. That’s good for a 1.80 ERA and a 2.64 FIP. Oh, and those starts were against the Angels, the Blue Jays and the Tigers twice – none of them the easiest of offenses for a pitcher to succeed against. Of the starters the Red Sox will face in this series, he is by far the best.

Henry Owens is still getting his footing in the majors, and we’ve seen the peaks and valleys of his results. In his first start in the Bronx, he made lefties look silly but racked up a high pitch count early in the 6th inning. At Detroit, he survived four walks and three hits in five innings by inducing a ton of pop-ups, but the high pitch count struck again. His last start at home against Seattle was a disaster, but had some silver linings – while he did give up seven runs and three homers, he struck out ten and walked only one. That’s progress, right? Either way, he’ll face a Royals team with the fewest strikeouts in the majors. If he can scratch out a quality start, the Red Sox will have a chance.

Yordano Ventura vs. Matt Barnes, August 22nd, 7:10 p.m. EDT

Ventura has had the epitome of an up-and-down season. He began the season as Kansas City’s de facto ace, starting the season opener on April 6th and throwing six innings of one-run ball against the White Sox. Then erraticism struck, as he didn’t give up fewer than two runs against until May 19th. After only pitching six innings total in his only two starts in June, the Royals put him on the DL with ulnar neuritis, which was causing numbness in his pitching hand. He came back in early July, and after getting blasted by the Pirates for six runs later in the month, the Royals send him down the Triple-A Omaha on July 21st, only to call him back up to the majors on July 22nd because Jason Vargas hit the DL. Insanity. So how has he done since then? Well, it’s not been a pretty sight. He’s given up 14 runs in 32 innings, and he had a scoreless start against the Tigers on August 11th, but that came with six walks. That was right after a start in which the Tigers tagged him for six runs. So flip a coin. If heads, Ventura tears through the Sox. If tails, he’ll be hit around. Your guess is as good as mine.

The Matt Barnes Starter Experience has been pretty lackluster so far. He got through three scoreless innings against the Indians in his last start, and then proceeded to implode for six runs in the next two frames. He’s here because the Red Sox literally have no one else – Wright, Porcello, Buchholz and Johnson are all on the disabled list. Barnes can still strike out a fair few batters, sure, but he’s got that type of control that really makes you wish you had something, anything else to do when he’s pitching. He could succeed against the Royals, yeah. However, it’s much more likely he’ll take a beating. My advice: keep your expectations low for this one, so when Barnes can miraculously get through six innings with only three runs allowed, you can be pleasantly surprised before the bullpen blows it.

Edinson Volquez vs. Eduardo Rodriguez, August 23rd, 1:35 p.m. EDT

It’s always a bit strange when a pitcher who only strikes out 6.75 per nine innings while walking 3.38 over the same span has an ERA of 3.20. Edinson Volquez is therefore an enigma. A 3.79 FIP over the course of the season usually means he’ll start getting worse sometime soon, and yet he’s still doing the same thing. His tendency to induce grounders is good, but even getting a grounder on 50% of batted balls doesn’t make you this good. August has been a microcosm of his season: 3.12 ERA, 3.92 FIP, all while walking two or more per start. Two starts ago, Volquez got torn apart by the Tigers, as they pinned five runs on him over seven innings. Then he made a start in Cincinnati, and proceeded to hurl six innings of one-run ball. Volquez has made small improvements this year in regards to his whiffs and contact allowed, and there’s been an uptick in velocity across the board. Combine grounders and weak contact with that superb Kansas City defense, and you get what Volquez is having.

Eduardo Rodriguez is going through a strange August. His start against the Yankees on the 6th was good for seven innings and he only allowed two runs. That’s a solid start by the southpaw. Then the Marlins teed off on him in Miami on the 12th, tagging him for eight runs in five innings of work. Not really what you want to see against one of the league’s worst offenses. To top it all off, Eddie’s next start against the Indians turns out to be his best since his debut in Texas, going eight innings, allowing one run, striking out five and walking none. What do the Red Sox have in Rodriguez? Hopefully, a pretty good pitcher. Right now, they’ll have to deal with the growing pains of a young starter. The Royals come into this series with a mediocre .707 OPS against lefties, so this’ll be a good test for him.

Opposing Lineup

The Royals have been without Alex Gordon for some time, so they’ve used a combination of Zobrist and Orlando in left, and will continue to do so until he returns.

That 2-3-4 of Zobrist-Cain-Hosmer is pretty daunting. Zobrist has regained the power stroke that many thought was lost last year, and that gives the Royals another dynamic bat they can put in the two-spot while playing him at virtually four different positions. Morales is no slouch either, as he’s another switch-hitter with notable power. The Royals do hit for contact a lot, but that heart of the lineup can really make a pitcher’s outing go downhill in a hurry.

Recap

The young Red Sox hurlers have a tough test ahead of them this weekend. This’ll be a good place for the Sox to start taking inventory, at least with their younger guys. For Kansas City, they just have to win one and they’ll be fine. They’re in no rush to take the series. That’s the luxury you earn when you’re the best.

Photo by Andy Marlin/USA Today Sports Images

Top Play (WPA): Ryan Hanigan gets this award, for what’s probably the first and only time this season. His two-run single off Danny Duffy in the third inning gave the Red Sox a lot more breathing room, and that base knock was good for .153 WPA. That was the first half of a two-out rally that culminated in Jackie Bradley Jr. doing yet another amazing thing. Hanigan doesn’t do much in the way of offense – he’s more of a defensive, pitch-framing type of guy – so it’s pretty cool to see him in the spotlight for once.

Bottom Play (WPA): We have a tie! Both of these prestigious first-inning failures netted a -.073 WPA.

1a. Oh Hanley Ramirez, where art thou? His strikeout with the bases loaded in the first inning earned him half of this title. HanRam hasn’t been battering down doors lately, with a 23 wRC+ in August. Yes, you read that right. Twenty-three. There’s no typo there, I checked. He is offensively 77% worse than league average this month.

1b. Ben Zobrist grounded into a double play in the top of the inning, essentially erasing a leadoff single by Alcides Escobar. Wade Miley has seen something of a rebound this month, putting up a solid 3.33 mark for both his ERA and FIP, with a 24/5 K/BB ratio. Him getting this twin killing set up another good start for the lefty.

Key Moment: Jackie Bradley Jr. cranking out a triple in the third inning. This capped the two-out rally in the inning, and gave the Sox a four-run cushion that the Royals would not overcome. Hanigan’s hustle to score all the way from first base was aided by Alex Rios’ strange decision to try and get JBJ at third instead of throwing to home and preventing the run from scoring. Another thing to note in that video: Bradley ran so hard to third that his helmet came off rounding second and ended up about thirty feet to the left of second base. Hanley would be so proud.

Trend To Watch: The lefties getting it done. Not only did a beardless-yet-mustachioed Wade Miley spin a gem, but Travis Shaw and Jackie Bradley Jr. were catalysts on offense. Shaw added two hits and a RBI walk to his already impressive August, while Bradley’s triple continued a streak in which the last nine of his hits were for extra bases, including that three-bagger. With a lefty in Danny Duffy on the mound opposing both Shaw and Bradley, one can’t help but be impressed with what they did in the game.

Coming Next: The Red Sox continue their four-game set against the Royals by sending out Henry Owens to oppose Johnny Cueto on Friday night. Here’s hoping the Reverse Lock Theory holds true!

Photo by Greg M. Cooper/USA Today Sports Images

This time we’ll look at a team with no World Series hangover to speak of that has almost every starting player going to the All-Star Game. Great job with that voting thing, guys! For the first time on the Weekend Preview, here are the Kansas City Royals.

Kansas City Royals – Current Record: 38-25 – Projected Record: 83-79

The Royals have not let up since that improbable run to the World Series last October. Great defense, combined with a great bullpen and pitching that plays to the team’s strengths, have given the Royals a solid team going forward. They’re scoring a run more than their opponent on average, and that’s put them at the top of the AL Central. That bullpen is intimidating: their fans have a running gag before the 7th inning starts called HDH – (Kelvin) Herrera, (Wade) Davis, (Greg) Holland. Every single one of them is a superb reliever, and will absolutely shut down any team in the later innings. This team is a legitimate contender.

Probables

Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Yohan Pino, Friday, 8:10 p.m. EDT

Rodriguez has been one of the lone rays of sunshine on this team. So far, the E-Rod bandwagon has been a fun ride. Apart from one bad outing against the Blue Jays – and let’s be honest here, who doesn’t have bad outings against them now – he’s been great. There are some signs the honeymoon period might end soon, however. His BABIP against is a ridiculously low .212, and his FIP is 3.69. The former is far below any norm or league average, and the latter is at a level higher than his ERA. I like Eddie, I really do. Just be prepared for him to be a little worse than expected in his coming starts.

With Yordano Ventura hitting the DL due to inflammation in the ulnar nerve in his right hand, Yohan Pino will start in his place. Pino has been a reliever for the year, posting 14 innings with an impressive 0.64 ERA so far. However, starting a game is a completely different beast than relieving, and when Pino was starting for the Twins last year, he wasn’t a shining example of starting pitching. A 5.04 ERA was held up by a 1.19 HR/9 and a strand rate of 63%. Pino might be great over short distances, but he’s no marathon runner.

Rick Porcello vs. Edinson Volquez, May 9th, 7:10 p.m. EDT

We have good news and bad news about Rick Porcello. The good news is that over his last three starts, he’s not given up a home run! The bad news is that he’s given up 11 runs in those starts as well. Porcello’s done well at getting rid of undesirable outcomes: no homers given up over that span, and only one walk allowed. However, the hits keep falling, even with those improvements in his peripherals. He’s got a 4.11 FIP compared to a 5.29 ERA, so you know a bounce-back is coming. With those home run & walk numbers going down, one can only hope it’ll be soon.

I’m not terribly sure what Volquez has done since 2013, but he looks a lot less wild and a lot more effective ever since his stint on the Pirates. His HR/9 has dropped below 0.50 this year, he’s still getting grounders at a 46% rate, and he’s getting the most swings-and-misses he’s had since his first season with the Padres. It may be due to the addition of a knuckle-curve to his arsenal, which would complement his sinker-heavy repertoire. Nevertheless, a FIP of 3.45 makes Volquez an effective starting pitcher who can get weak contact and still has the stuff to strike a few batters out.

Wade Miley vs. Chris Young, May 10th, 2:10 p.m. EDT

Miley’s had two good starts sandwiched around a terrible one in Baltimore. He’s at least taken steps forward from his awful April: a lot less walks, a lot more strikeouts, a tad less homers and a few more grounders. Over his last 7 starts, Miley’s given up 4 home runs, which all came in two of those seven games. He’s getting there. Just a few more baby steps forward and Miley will be the Miley we expected him to be. I know you want him to be good too – the longer he goes into games, the shorter they are. His pace is frenetic and amazing.

Chris Young is an oddity. He doesn’t strike out a lot of guys, but gets them out using weak contact. He doesn’t get a lot of grounders, but gets a ton of pop-ups and fly balls that get caught by KC’s superb defense. Unlike most pitchers who aim to get weak contact, he lives at the top of the zone instead of the bottom to induce weak contact. Hitters have said that his fastball looks very hittable and yet they’re unable to make solid contact. It gives you the sense that his .199 BABIP and 1.98 ERA aren’t going to dramatically rise anytime soon. When magicians speak of magicians, they talk about Chris Young.

Opposing Lineup

The Royals don’t strike out, and they’ve racked up the best team batting average in the bigs. They have a lot of hitters enjoying bounce-back or career years, and they all make really good contact.

Alcides Escobar – SS – R – .270/.300/.363, .243 TAv
Mike Moustakas – 3B – L – .323/.380/.461, .309 TAv
Lorenzo Cain – CF – R – .292/.343/.442, .265 TAv
Eric Hosmer – 1B – L – .297/.366/.462, .297 TAv
Kendrys Morales – DH – S – .283/.344/.452, .286 TAv
Alex Gordon – LF – L – .271/.381/.452, .311 TAv
Salvador Perez – C – R – .284/.296/.462, .273 TAv
Alex Rios – RF – R – .220/.244/.293, .206 TAv (86 PA)
Omar Infante – 2B – .228/.236/.311, .217 TAv

The 2-6 hitters can hit some frozen ropes into the outfield gaps, and if any one of the speedier guys at the top of the lineup reach base before then, it’ll cause chaos.

Recap

The Royals are a true contender in an AL that seems lacking in that department. Can the Red Sox overcome them? We’ll see. We can only hope they play baseball like they did yesterday, or else this may be a very ugly weekend.

Photo by Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports Images